


second choice

by euphorickiri



Series: rina week 2020 [5]
Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Feelings Realization, Rina Week 2020 (HSM: The Series), ricky is an idiot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:00:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24212527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/euphorickiri/pseuds/euphorickiri
Summary: feelings can be complicated. ricky learns this the hard way
Relationships: Ricky Bowen/Gina Porter, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Series: rina week 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1741261
Comments: 1
Kudos: 28





	second choice

Ricky didn’t understand what happened. 

Things were finally starting to get better. Even if he was still mad at his mom, she was trying her best to be there which he appreciated. He got back together with Nini, made up with EJ, and Gina came _back_.

But Miss Jenn announced Beauty and the Beast, and everything changed again.

Nini didn’t want to audition which confused everyone, especially Ricky. She refused to tell him why no matter how much he pushed. Nini eventually snapped and told him about YAC, which ended in a huge argument. She completely avoided him for the next few days, ignoring all of his texts and calls.

If _that_ wasn’t bad enough, something was going on with Gina.

Ricky thought they smoothed things over the night of the musical, but it turned out he was wrong. Gina still talked to him and said hi whenever they saw each other, but she was a lot more distant. She spent a lot more time with EJ, which annoyed him a lot more than he thought it would.

He couldn’t _begin_ to figure out why.

When the cast list was out, he hated not seeing Nini’s name on the paper. He was still happy for EJ and Kourtney who would be playing the Beast and Belle. He smiled when he saw he was playing Lumiere and was the understudy for the Beast. That smile quickly dropped when he saw Gina would be playing the feather duster, Lumiere’s love interest. She was also the understudy for Belle, which meant they would be spending even _more_ time together. Gina looked even less excited, not bothering to spare him a second glance as she walked away with EJ and Ashlyn by her side. Ricky felt his eye twitch when he saw Gina holding EJ’s hand. 

To say the first couple of rehearsals were a disaster would be an understatement. 

Everyone was a mess. Ricky couldn’t stop worrying about Nini, Gina didn’t want to be anywhere near him, and the entire cast overall was a complete mess. Miss Jenn was already starting to lose her voice for how much she’s been yelling. 

Ricky sighed as he packed his things, wincing when he heard Miss Jenn yell at Big Red. His phone went off and he opened it, his heart dropping when he read the texts Nini sent him.

**nini: i’m going to yac.**

**nini: but i need time for myself. i think its best if we break up**

**nini: i’m sorry ricky**

**nini: but this is whats best for us both**

Ricky’s knuckles turned white from how hard he was gripping his phone. He grabbed his backpack and stormed out of the theater room as tears blurred his vision. He bumped into someone on the way out and muttered an apology. Ricky got into his car and slammed the door closed harshly, hitting his head on the steering wheel. His horn went off loudly but he couldn’t bring himself to care. 

After everything they’ve been through, Ricky couldn’t believe Nini didn’t even want to _try_ and fight for them. They loved each other, didn’t they? Why wasn’t that enough for her? He gripped his steering wheel tightly as tears started to fall down his face. If that wasn’t enough, Nini broke up with him over text. Did he really mean that little to her? 

_Not all couples are meant to be together. Sometimes people change._

Ricky was starting to think his mom was right after all. 

He jumped when someone knocked on his window, quickly wiping his tears. He was surprised to see Gina standing there with a concerned look on her face. Ricky rolled down the window and she offered him a small smile.

“Everyone could hear your horn from inside,” Gina informed, causing him to blush in embarrassment. 

“My bad,” Ricky muttered. “Is that all?”

“You left in a hurry and you looked upset,” she said gently. “You almost knocked EJ over when you bumped into him.”

Hearing Gina say EJ’s name made something snap inside of him. Ricky unlocked his door and got out, startling the other teen. He towered over Gina and glared fiercely.

“Why do you even care?” he snapped.

“You’re my friend. Sorry for being concerned,” she shot back as her eyes narrowed. 

Ricky scoffed. “Last time I checked, you don’t avoid people who you’re friends with.”

Gina’s expression darkened and she stepped back, putting space between them. Ricky’s anger grew, not understanding what was going on. 

“Maybe if you learned to start caring about other people’s feelings, you would know why I’ve been avoiding you,” Gina said shakily.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he demanded. 

She shook her head, starting to walk away from him. “Forget it. You’re not worth it.”

Ricky reached out and grabbed her arm. Gina immediately pulled away and shoved him harshly.

“Don’t touch-”

“So I’m not important? Is that it?” he snapped, his insecurities with Nini getting the best of him. 

“No. The _problem_ is you think you’re the only important fucking person in the world!”

Ricky reeled back, his eyes widening in surprise at Gina’s harsh tone. She stepped forward and poked his chest harshly, pinning him to his car. 

“Did you stop to think for one second how I felt about everything that happened between us?” Gina asked shakily. “I thought we felt the same way, but I guess I was wrong. I’m not taking the full blame, I pushed you away. But I never meant anything to you, did I? You just used me as a fucking distraction to forget about Nini.”

“Gina-”

“You should really start thinking about how you treat other people. Because so far? You’ve been selfish.”

Ricky was speechless. Gina took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down, turning away from him. They stood in a tense silence, neither of them knowing what else to say. 

“Gina? Everything okay?”

They looked up and saw EJ and Ashlyn. Ricky winced when the senior shot him a dirty look. glared at him. Gina didn’t bother to look back at him and walked up to the other teens. EJ wrapped an arm around her shoulders and steered her away, glaring at Ricky over his shoulder as they left. Ashlyn offered him a sympathetic smile before following them. Ricky sighed and got back into his car, starting his drive home. 

He couldn’t stop thinking about what Gina said, and his guilt grew the more he thought about it. Had he been selfish? Ricky frowned when he thought of Big Red, making a mental note to text him later. 

He hated to admit it, but Gina was right. He _had_ been a bad friend. 

But if Ricky was being honest, Gina was never a distraction. He genuinely enjoyed spending time with her, and he hated that they were fighting. His thoughts trailed back to the night of homecoming, reaching up to touch his cheek where Gina kissed him. His face grew hot, realization settling it. 

He had a _lot_ of thinking to do. 

  
  
  



End file.
